How alcohol affects your sex life

It goes without saying that alcohol affects everyone differently but it is very common to have reduced inhibitions after a pint or two. After a few cocktails, we may become the Huck Finn for a night but is alcohol really an aphrodisiac?

“It provokes and unprovokes. It provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance,” said Shakespeare in Macbeth. This can be precisely what happens when we mix booze and sex. Here we decode what exactly happens when we have drunk sex.

You become less inhibited

Brain is your body’s biggest sex organ! Anything that affects your brain will naturally affect the other processes that are related to this organ. When you drink booze, it shuts down certain responses of your brain, opening you up towards sexual stimulation and making you more impulsive.In fact, a study had pointed out four distinct improvements in sex after having alcohol. First, delay in ejaculation, second, better libido, third, better sexual stamina and fourth, less sexual sluggishness

Does this mean alcohol is an aphrodisiac?

Not so much. The decrease in inhibitions is often confused by people as a boost in sexual drive. But that’s not what happens in your brain. There is no sexual stimulation happening in the brain but only a decrease in inhibitions otherwise However, alcohol is known to dilate your blood vessels and hence, women often feel more aroused when they are drunk. Also, for instance, wine, which is rich in antioxidants, boosts the blood stimulation to your genitals. This can make you feel warmer and aroused down there.

The biphasic nature of alcohol

Further studies have pointed out that if the amount of alcohol is increased and once the threshold of optimal drinking is passed, the effects of alcohol on sex may be negative. This is known as the biphasic nature of alcohol; when blood alcohol concentration increases, the stimulant effect is achieved and when the concentration decreases, depressant effects begin.

Alcohol versus Arousal

When you are touched in a sexual way when you are not drunk, your brain reads it as arousal. But when you are drunk, your sensations are a little dulled and your brain is not very receptive to them. Hence, your body may not be as sensitive to them as it is otherwise. This can be associated with the biphasic nature of alcohol. After it disinhibits you to touch, it doesn’t lead you to an orgasm however. This is because it depresses the central nervous system, making your mind feel less pleasurable.

Heard of a ‘Whisky Penis’?

A whisky penis is a phenomenon that refers to the difficulty in reaching an erection for men after they are drunk, not only through whisky but any alcoholic beverage. Whisky penis is very common as alcohol makes a man’s erection flaccid. This happens because alcohol affects the ability of the blood to move in and out of the penis. Not just this, in fact, excessive drinking has been associated with erectile dysfunction in the long run.

Vaginal dryness may also become an issue

Because alcohol dehydrates your body, your vagina may also get dehydrated and harder to lubricate even by stimulation. The situation can be exacerbated in women who already have hormonal issues and are experiencing vaginal dryness.

An orgasm can take eons to come

Alcohol is known to delay ejaculation already. However, booze can delay an orgasm even forever. This happens because your sensations are dulled and your penis or vagina isn’t getting excited to its full potential.

Also, booze may cloud your judgement about consensual sex

If you are drunk so much that you have lost control of a rational line of thought, there are very high chances that you may skip a condom or any other measure of birth control. Even the breaking or slipping away of a condom may not be felt as your genitals are dulled. So, it is best to avoid sex in such situations. Besides, as booze disinhibits both the parties, you can never be sure if the sex is consensual.

The long term impacts of booze on sexual health

Long term drinking can lead to erectile dysfunction in men. It can also increase the stress hormone levels in one’s body and reduce testosterone, hence, decreasing one’s libido in the long run. It also affects one’s cardiovascular health and hence, it can clog up your arteries and impact blood flow to the heart. This can adversely affect one’s sex life.